Barking apparatus and method



Jan 6, 1931. H. w. GUETTLER 1,787,725

7 BARKING APPARATUS AND MEIHQD Filed Jan. '7. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l [72 verzi'or fffrberf Z0 Gzzcfil c1 Jan 6, 1931. H. w. GUETTLER ,7

BAHKING APPARATUS AND IETKOD Filed Jan. 7. 1928 sweets-sheet 2 Jan 6, 1931. H. w. GUETTLER BARKING APPARATUS AND IETHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 7, 1928 Patented Jan. (5, 1931 uuirsnsrarss fnnnennrw. ennrrrinn, or cam-AGO, rLLrnors BABKING APPARATUS AND METHOD Application filed January 7, 1928. Serial No. 245,065.

- My invention relates to a barking apparatus and method. y

it is known in the art to bark logs mechanically by having the logs strike against each other or against steel barsin rotating barrels. A familiar example of such an apparatus is the barking drum into which the logs are charged, the drum being rotated to tumble the logs and raise them causing the logs to drop from the, upper portion "of the drum to the lower portion thereof. In many of these drums the barking is accomplished partly by inwardly projecting ribs against which the logs strike so as to break the bark 5 and loosen it, this bark being rubbed or scraped off of the log; While barking drums ha vebeen developed which are efficient in removing the bark from the logs,these drums are open to the objection, that they-cause splitting and brooming oi'the log ends resulting in a material waste in pulp wood. This is particularly true in cases where the wood has not'been immersed in the water previous to barking and the bark has become dry and adheres to the-wood.

jections various attempts have been made to devise barkers in which the logs are supported in parallel relation in contact with each other and are subjected toa rolling motion. An

example of such a barker is disclosed' in the patent to C. B. Thorne, No. 1,319,935, issued October 28, 1919. This apparatus employs cams which are rotated and bear against the logs. Due to the superimposed mass of logs, these cams bear against the logs with such great pressure as to cause slivering thereof. .l have found that the above objections can be overcome by using water or other suit able liquid for imparting the necessary motion to the logs, instead of revolving 1nechaniul parts. In accordance with my invention thelogs are placedin a vat or tank and by alternately raising and lowering the water level the logs are first'fioated and then lowered to strike one against the other and form a compact mass or wood pile, this operation being repeated to cause the logs to strike or pound against each other so as to quickly break and 5 loosen the bark. In addition, the body of at the other end providing an apparatusof With a view to overcoming the above 0bwater is subjected to a combinedpulsating andcirculatory motion insuch manner as to cause thelog's to strike against one another when floating so as to further assist in breaking and loosening the bark, the logs also rubbing against one another so as to quickly rub off the loosened bark. By this method the logs do not strike, and are not struck by, mechanical elements in such manner as to cause .splintering or brooming thereof. In practicing my invention the logs are prefer ably supported in parallel-relation and are subjected to transverse movement so that striking of the ends of the logs forcibly against parts of the apparatus usedin carry-. ing out my method is avoided. Bymymethod the barking operation may be carried on continuously, the logs being fed into the apparatus at one end thereof as theyare discharged large capacity. :A further advantage of my invention is that all necessity ofemploying moving parts of great weight with conicquent wear and tear on the apparatus and the requirement of a large power plant is eliminated. Further-objects and advantages of my invention will appear from thedetailed description.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a central vertical longitudinal view through a barking apparatus constructed inaccordance. with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical sectional View through a modified form of apparatus, with the piston in its inner position.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. l is a senii-diagrammatic sectional view of an apparatus comprising several units similar to that illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a semi-diagrannnatic sectional view of an apparatus of several units, illustrating a modification of the form shown in FigsQand- L s a In the apparatus illustrated in Figs. land 3, I employ a tank 1 which of elongated rectangular shape in plan view and is provided with downwardly converging end walls 2 and 3, the inclination of wall 2 being less than that of wall 3, and the upper prevents passage of the logs through the opening.

A cylinder 6 is secured to the flange 4 by cap screws 7 passing through a flange 8 at the upper end of the cylinder and threading into flange s. Thiscylinder has direct con'n'nunicati on with the tank through the spaces between the bars of the grate structure 5. p I

The cylinder 6 is provided at its lower end with an outer annular flange 9 to which is bolt-ed a spider 10 carrying a central bearing sleeve 11 through which operates a plston' rod 12 secured to apiston 13 which operates in the cylinder and has a water tight fit therewith. This piston is reciprocated inthe cylinder by suitable means connected to the piston 'rod 12; Any one of several means well 7 known in the art may be employed for reciprocating the piston and it is notnecessary to illustrate or describe such inc-ans in detail. 7

he tank 1 and the parts associated therewith may be braced and supported by a suitable structure 13, or in any other suitable or preferred manner. An inclined'apron 14 is suitably supportedon the structure 13 and extends upwardly and outwardly from the upper edge of wall 3 of thetank foridirecting into the tank logs --discharged from an endless feed conveyor 15 of known type driven in a known manner. This conveyor passes about upper sprockets 16 secured on a shaft 17 mounted in suitable bearingblocks 18 which are secured upon elements 19 of the supporting structure 13. The logs Z discharged from the upper end of theconveyor 15 roll down the apron 14 into the tank .1 which is of a width slightly greater than thelength of the logs to be barked. The tank 1 thus provides a suitable containeror compartment in which the logs are subj ected to the barking operation. x

In accordance with my invention, the tank 1 is initially filled with water to the upper edge of wall 2, when the piston 13 is in its innermost or raised position, the water line at this time being indicated by (1.. When init ially setting the apparatus intoopcration logs are fed into the tank by means of the conveyor 15 until a suitable number of logs are supported by the water within the tank and extending substantially the full length thereof as indicated by dotted lines in Fig When the proper number of logs have been fed into the tank the piston 13 is reciprocated in cylinder 6. Upon the downward or out stroke of the piston the water flows out of the tank through the grate structure- 5 into the cylinder 6 so that, when the piston reaches structure 13.

its lower-most position, the water level is at approximately the line b and the logs are in a compact mass one upon the other. The cylinder 6 is oflarge capacity and the piston is reciprocated with suflicient rapidity to cause a quick lowering of the water level up on the downwardstroke of the piston thus causing the logs to drop one upon the other. Upon the upward or inward stroke of the piston the water column in cylinder 6 is forced upwardly raising the water level in the tank so as to again float the logs, as in Fig. 2. In this nianner the bed o l water in the tank or log compartment is abruptly and alternately decreased and increased in rob ume. During reciprocation of the piston the logs are alternately raised and then lowered seas to pound one upon another thus quickly breaking and loosening the bark. This subjects the logs to what is, in effect, a continuous pounding operation. In addition to this, the turbulence ot' the water caused by the puisating motion imparted thereto by the piston will cause the logs to strike and rub together when floating in the water. 'Ihepounding of the logs against one another very ellcient in breaking and loosening the bark, and the rubbing and striking together of'the logs quickly removes the; bark from the logs. During this operation the logs are maintained in substantial parallelism and the endsoi the logs do not strike forcibly against the tank or any other portion of the barking apparatus. As a result, no brooming or splitting of the logs is encountered, which is highly desirable." As the logsv are fed into the tankthey travel from the inlet end toward the outlet or discharge end thereof and are dischargedover the upper end of wall 2 onto a downwardly inclined grate structure 20 formed of spaced parallel bars supported in a suitable manner by the structure 1- The upper ends of the bars 20a are disposed adjacent a shaft 21 which is rockably mounted in bearing blocks 22 secured to the supporting The condition and characteristics of woods Vary, and some logs take longer to bark than others. When logs which are hard to barl: are fed into the apparatus, it is necessary to provide means whereby discharge of these logs will be delayed until they are properly barked. This is usually accomplished by slowing down the feed conveyor 15 thus reducing the rate at which the logs are-ted into the tank 1, as comparcdto the rate at which easy barking wood is fed to the tank. Heweveiyas it is impossible to adjust the feet'liin momentarily, I provide means for regularing the discharge of the logs from the tanln Suitable fingers-23 are secured to the shaft 21 and cooperate therewith to form a gate structure. A hand lever 24 is secured on one end of the shaft- 21 and is provided with a detent 25 which cooperates with a fixed rack 26' for locking the shaft in adjustment. \Vith the hand'lever in the position illustrateifl in. Fig. 3, the fingers 23 are disposed vertically and prevent dischargcof logs from thetank'. Undernorma'l operatingconditions, the hand lever 2 l is turned into the dotted line iosi tion of Fig.3 disposing the fingers 23 downwardly beyond the bars a. of the grate structure 20. The logs-discharged from the tank 1 roll down the grate structure 20 onto the upperrmi of an endless conveyor 26 of suitable type, the flexible members or chains of which pass about sprockets 27 secured on a shaft 28 rotatablymounted in bearing blocks 29 secured on sub-frames 30 of the supporting structure 13. This conveyor transfers the logs from the grate structure to storage piles or other apparatusfor further treat ment. Preferably, a return conveyor (not shown) is provided for returning to the apparatus for further treatment any logs which may be not completely'barked, as is'known in the art.

The bark which is removed from the logs is discharged over the upper edge of wall 2, and passes between the bars 20a of the grate structure 20 into ahopper 31 supported beneath the grate. The hopper 3l'directsthe bark into'an inclined trough 32 from which it is discharged. I A spray pipe 33 is disposed above the grate structure 20, this pipe being.

provided with perforations which direct a spray downwardly'onto the logs to remove therefrom any adhering particles of bark, and onto the gratestructure for substantial ly the full length thereof.v The water discharged from the pipe 33flows into the hopper 31 and thence into the trough 32 washing the bark into and through the trough.

In Fig. 2, I have illustrated a modified form ofmy apparatus in which the tank 10 is provided with an opening 34 extending through the lower portion of its end wall 3a The tank is further provided with a grate structure extending across this opening, and a rearwardly extending neck 86 provided at its outer end with an annular flange 37. This flange bolted or otherwise suitably secured to a flange 38 atthe forward end of a cylinder 39 in which operates a pison 40. The piston is reciprocated in the cylinder by a piston rod 41 which operates through a guide sleeve l2 of the piston. head which may be provided with openings to permit escape of any water which may leak past the piston. In this form of the apparatus the piston is disposed substantially tangentially of the tank 1a and the column of water discharged from the cylinder under pressure impinges upon the mass of logs so as to cause movement thereof toward the wall 2. tion of the apparatus of Fig. 2 is in all other respects similar to the operation of the apparatus of Fig. 1. In both forms of the apparatus I provide, adjacent the rearward or The opera-.

inlet end of the 'tank,'a spray pipe 43having perforations disposed to directa spray downwardly onto the entering logs and into the tank This spray serves to replenish the supply of Water intankl so as to maintain w the waterlevel at the upper, edge of the dis charge or outlet end of the tank when the piston'is in its raised :or inner position.

Where found desirabl 'I may provide a plurality of units arranged in a connected series forsuccessively treating the logs two or more times before final discharge thereof from the barking apparatus. Such an arrangement is illustrated semi-diagrammaticallyin Fig. 4 in which I have shown three unit are dischargedtherefrom intothe second un t Where they undergo" further trea ment, being discharged from the second unit r into the third unit'in which the barking operation is completed, after which the logs are discharged from this third unit onto the conveyor 26 aspreviously described.

InQFig. 5 Ihave shown an arrangement similar. to that of Fig. 4; but'have illustrated l a umodification of the meansfor alternately raising andlowering the level ofthe water in the tank and imparting the previously referred to combined pulsating and circulatory motion thereto. In this form the cylinder 39 of Fig. 2 is replaced by a tubular member or pipe 4% and all of these pipes open into a header 45 at the inner. end of acylinder 46.

of proper capacity inwhich operates a piston The several forms of my invention illustrated all employ the same fundamental idea of causing contact and abrading of the logs, one against the other, by placing them in a body of liquid and imparting relative motion to the logs through the medium of the liquid body exclusively and without the interposition, in the stationary compartment, of any mechanical elementswhich contact with the logs. Afurther important feature of my invention is the creation of what may .be termed convulsions in the body of liquid in the log compartment by alternately reducing and increasing the volume of such body in appreciable quantity, thus rapidly raising and lowering the level of the liquid .in the, compartment and imparting the desired motionto the logs. Another valuable feature of my invention is the entire absence from the log compartment of mechanical agitators, barkers, orv similar elements. This results in an apparatus of simple and relatively inexpensive construction and high efficiency. V

Free

While I have illustrated the several forms of my inventlonas used for barking: logs and have. shown comparativelylong logs in' parallel relation, t will be clear that it-can within the scope of the appended claims, in I this application in which the preferred forms only of my invention have been disclosed. 7 q What I claim is: g 1. A method of barking logs, consisting in placing the logs to be barked in a liquidin a stationary compartment, and then spasmodically, agitating the liquid to cause the logs by contact one with the other to loosen and remove the bark.

2. A method of barking logs, c0nsis ting in placing the logs in a stationary co'mp'art: nient with'a liquid, and then'nnparting a pulsatingjmotionto the liquid causing the logs by contact one with the other to break and loosen the bark and to rub together to remove the loosened bark. V in method of barking logs, consisting in placing the logs in a compartment, and alternately supplying liquid to the compartment and withdrawing the liquid from the compartment in suiiicient quantity tocause thelogs by contact to abrade one another'to, break and remove the bark. I

1-. A method of barkinglogs, consisting in placing the logs in a body of liquid,- and then imparting a pulsating motion to the bodyof liquid 'to'cause the logs by contact to abrade one another for loosening and removing the bark.

5. A method ofbarking logs, consisting in" placing the logs in a body of liquid, and then alternately reducing and increasing the volume or" the body of liquidcausing' convulsions thereof, the logs being caused to abrade one another by the convulsions of the body of liquid.

6. A method of barking logs, consisting in placing the logs in a body of liquid, and

then alternately withdrawing a quantity of liquid from the body of liquid and return i dig it to the body of liquid, the amount of liqiiid withdrawn and returned and the rate of withdrawal and return thereof being of proper value to cause convulsions of the body of liquid, the logs being caused by such convulsions to abrade one another. 7

7. Abarking apparatus comprising a compartment for receiving the logs, and means for forcibly injecting and withdrawing sullicient liquid into and from said compartment to cause the log-s'to move relatively to and in contact with each other so as to;cause them to roll on each other andthereby break up and dislodge the bark.

8. In barking apparatus, a con'ipartinent for containing a liquid and adapted to receive the logs to be barked, the compartment having downwardly converging walls, and means for alternately and abruptly raising and lowering the liquid level in the compartment, the downwardly converging walls of said compartment promoting rolling and tumbling of the logs in contact one with another incident to variations in the liquid level in-the compartment and thereby facilitating loosening and removal of the bark from the logs;

9. In barking apparatus, a substantially rectangular compartment for containing a liquid and Ora-Width greater than the length of the logs to be barked, the end Walls 01" the compartment converging downwardly, a cylinder opening into the compartment through one end Wall and adjacent the bottom thereof, said cylinder being in free communlcation with the compartment at all times, and a pistonoperating-in the. cylinder, the size of the cylinder and the travel of the piston being ofpropervalue to cause appreciable variation of the liquid levelin the-compartment, the downwardly converging end walls of the compartment and the injection of the liquid into the compartmentfrom the cylinder and lengthwise thereof, promoting rolling of the logs-in contact one with another incident to variations in the liquid level in the compartment and thereby facilitating loosening and removal of the bark from the logs.

I 10. A barking apparatus comprising a compartment for containing liquid and adapted to receive logs to be barked, a cylinder opening into the compartment below the normal liquid level-therein, said compartment being otherwise closed below the normal liquid level, and a piston operating in the cylinder, the volume of the cylinder and thei'movement of the piston being of proper valueto appreciably decrease and increase the volume of liquid in the compartment when the piston is reciprocated, such decrease and increase in volume of the liquidin the compartment causing the logs'to contact one another and thereby abrade and remove the bark from the logs.

11. 1n barking apparatus, a stationary compartment for containing liquid and and abrade the bark andremove it from the l log-s. c I '12. A method of barking logs, consisting in placing the logs to be barked in a liquid in a stationary compartment, and alternately raising and loweringthe liquid level in the compartment and thereby causing the logs to strike and contact one another so as to loosen and remove the bark from the logs by abrasion and contact therebetween.

13. A method of barking logs, consisting in placing the logs to be barked in a liquid I in a compartment, and alternately supplying liquid to and Withdrawing liquid from the compartment and in suflicient quantity to alternately raise the logs and lower them into contact with the compartment thereby causing the logsto pound one upon another to break and loosen the bark and remove it from the logs.

' In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 4th day of January, 1928.

HERBERT W. GUETTLER. 

